Jason Kipnis is out of the Indians’ lineup tonight for the fifth straight game due to a sore left elbow, but the hope is that his return isn’t far off.

According to Dennis Manoloff of the Cleveland Plain-Dealer, Kipnis completed a full batting practice session this afternoon at Progressive Field. While he reported some “expected” soreness, he came out of it feeling good and is hopeful to return to the lineup tomorrow night when the Indians begin a three-game series against the Astros in Houston.

“Right now, at this moment, I feel like I’m good enough to play Friday,” Kipnis said after BP, which for him ended about 5:20. “But we’ll see how the elbow reacts to this activity. I won’t know my status for sure until the morning.”

The sore elbow provides some context for Kipnis’ slow start, as he’s hitting just .125 (4-for-32) with three doubles, two RBI and 11 strikeouts in eight games. The 26-year-old batted .257/.335/.379 with 14 home runs, 76 RBI, 31 stolen bases and a .714 OPS in 152 games with the Indians last season.

Buchholz, 33, was acquired by the Phillies from the Red Sox in December 2016, but he made only two starts before an MRI revealed he had a partial tear of his right flexor pronator mass. He underwent surgery in April and missed the rest of the season.